Thorpe, 5-Time Olympic Champ,
Retires From Swimming at Age 24

Ian Thorpe, who won five Olympic gold medals in swimming for Australia, is retiring at the tender age of 24. And he has never seemed happier than he did when discussing his decision.

"We are glad you weren't feeling nervous before your big announcement yesterday, or still having any second thoughts," Jeff Wells writes in Australia's Daily Telegraph, in a column addressed to the man known as Thorpedo. "Even though you were cracking a lot of hearts -- for this country genuinely worships you as an athlete and a...